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Tips, guides, and insights for learning German.
German Comparative and Superlative: How to Say "Bigger" and "the Biggest"
German builds the comparative with *-er* and the superlative with *am ... -sten*, even for long adjectives where English says "more" and "most". This post shows the regular pattern, the small spelling changes, and the few irregular forms you use every day, like *gut, besser, am besten*.
Read postWenn in German: How to Say "When" and "If" (and Where the Verb Goes)
Wenn is the German word for both "when" and "if". It sends the verb to the end of its clause, and when the wenn part comes first, the next part starts with a verb. This post shows the word order with everyday examples, including modal verbs, separable verbs, and questions.
Read postBecause in German: How to Use weil, denn, and deshalb
German has two common words for "because", *weil* and *denn*, and one for "that's why", *deshalb*. They mean almost the same thing but put the verb in three different places. This post shows where the verb goes after each one, with modal verbs, the Perfekt, and separable verbs.
Read postDieser, Diese, Dieses: How to Say "This" and "These" in German
How to use *dieser*, *diese*, and *dieses* (this, these) in German. The endings follow *der*, *die*, *das*, so you already know most of them. With a full table for Nominativ, Akkusativ, and Dativ, time phrases like *diesen Sommer* and *an diesem Wochenende*, and the difference between *dies* and *dieses*.
Read post"Das ist mir zu teuer": How to Say Something Is Too Much in German
How Germans say that something is too expensive, too loud, or too long for them: *Das ist mir zu teuer*. Learn the pattern, compare it with *finden*, practise Dativ pronouns, and avoid common mistakes.
Read postJeder, Alle, Alles: How to Say Every, All, and Everyone in German
When to use *jeder*, *jede*, *jedes* (every) and when to use *alle* (all) in German. Learn the simple rule, the endings in each case, useful time expressions, and the difference between *alle* and *alles*.
Read postGerman Dative Verbs and Pronouns: mir, dir, ihm, and the Verbs That Need Them
The German Dativ pronouns (mir, dir, ihm, ihr, ihnen) and the verbs that always take them: helfen, danken, gefallen, gehören, schmecken, wehtun and more. Learn why "I like it" is Das gefällt mir, how to use Wem? and Was?, and how to avoid the common mich versus mir mistake.
Read postGerman Cases Explained: Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ, and Genitiv (with Chart and Quiz)
The four German cases in plain English: what each one does, the full article chart, the verbs and prepositions that decide the case, and the Akkusativ vs Dativ rule that confuses most learners. With a quick quiz at the top.
Read postDays of the Week and Months in German (with Pronunciation)
All seven days of the week and twelve months in German, with pronunciation, their meanings, and the two small rules that make them easy: they are all masculine, and days take am while months take im. Plus the seasons, how to say a date, and the two months Germans rename on the phone.
Read postThe German Alphabet: How to Pronounce Every Letter (with Audio)
All 30 letters of the German alphabet with audio from a native speaker, the letter names that surprise English speakers, what Ä, Ö, Ü and ß are, and how Germans spell words out loud.
Read postReading in German at A1: How to Start Before You Feel Ready
Most German texts for beginners are still too hard at A1. Here's how to practice reading in German from your first month, why the same text at three levels works better than one, and where to find free graded texts.
Read postThe Best Apps to Learn German in 2026, Tested by a German Learner
There are dozens of apps that promise to teach you German, and they are not interchangeable. Here's which app fits which kind of learner, based on actually using them, plus the honest weaknesses of each one.
Read postDuolingo German Review: Is Duolingo Good for Learning German?
Duolingo is where most German learners start, and the habit-building part works. But after months of streaks, many people still guess between der, die, and das. Here's what the German course does well and where it fails.
Read postGerman Time Expressions: When to Use Um, Am, and Im (and When to Skip the Preposition)
Every answer to Wann? in German needs the right tiny word in front of it. Here's how um, am, and im split up the work, why Nacht breaks the pattern, and the cases where you don't use any preposition at all.
Read postGerman Past Tense for Beginners: How Perfekt Actually Works
A beginner-friendly guide to the German past tense. Learn the Perfekt formula, how to build the past participle, and when to use haben or sein. Practice with a quick game inside the post.
Read postGerman Articles: Der, Die, Das Explained (with Chart)
German has three words for "the" and three for "a." Which one you use depends on the grammatical gender of the noun. Here is what der, die, and das mean, a chart of every form, the rules that help you predict the gender, and how to make the right article stick.
Read postGerman Flashcards: The A1 Word List and How to Use It
The Goethe A1 word list is roughly 600 words. Flashcards are the most practical way to work through it, but only if you learn each noun with its article and use spaced repetition instead of cramming.
Read postGerman Sentence Structure: Why the Verb Always Comes Second
German sentence structure follows one main rule: the conjugated verb always comes second. This post explains that rule and how it changes word order with time expressions, modal verbs, and subordinate clauses.
Read postGerman Dativ Prepositions: The Wohin, Wo, Woher Rules in Plain English
Location prepositions are how most learners first meet the Dativ case. Here's how nach, zu, in, auf, an, aus, and von actually work, organized around the three German question words Wohin, Wo, and Woher.
Read postIs German Hard to Learn for English Speakers? An Honest Look
German has a reputation for being difficult, and some parts really are. Here's what actually trips up English speakers, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Read postGerman Verb Conjugation: Rules, Charts, and How It Actually Works
German verb conjugation has clear patterns once you see them. This guide covers present tense, past tense, irregular verbs, and the charts that make it all click.
Read postNumbers in German: How to Count from 1 to 100 (and Beyond)
A straightforward guide to counting in German, from 1 to 10 up to 100 and beyond, with audio for the numbers every other number is built from, and the quirks that trip up English speakers. Plus practice games to make them stick.
Read postIs German easy to learn?
German has a reputation for being hard, but English speakers already have a head start. Here's an honest look at what's easy, what's tricky, and how games can make the hard parts feel less painful.
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